Simo Salminen

Simo Veli Atte Salminen (8 November 1932 – 2 September 2015) was a Finnish comic-actor best known for his many performances in movies and television shows by Spede Pasanen, usually playing his sidekick in some fashion. Salminen alongside Vesa-Matti Loiri and Pasanen himself were the three important players in almost all of Pasanen's productions. He frequently played a supporting or at the very least a relevant secondary character in many of Pasanen's films, usually the bungling assistant to the main character (often portrayed by Pasanen). His characters were frequently also called "Simo" (such as in Pähkähullu Suomi, Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit). Salminen is best remembered for the role of the luckless mechanic Sörselssön, working at an auto-repair shop with the foul-mouthed Härski Hartikainen (Pasanen) in the Uuno Turhapuro film series. Jukka Virtanen, director of Millipilleri and Noin 7 Veljestä, has said of Salminen that he complimented Spede on-screen by being naturally funny and without stealing the spotlight.